Various systems are known in the medical arts for dispensing a variety of fluids, such as saline and medication intravenously to a patient. One known system includes a three way stopcock valve and a syringe that are manually operated by a caregiver. An inlet port of the valve is fluidicly coupled to a source of fluid, while a common port is fluidicly coupled to a syringe and an outlet port is fluidicly coupled to a patient. While systems of this general type have been successfully utilized, they are subject to some disadvantages. In the first instance, when a caregiver enters a patient's room to administer an intravenous fluid, the caregiver must first check the stopcock valve to ensure the valve position is selected to fluidicly couple the inlet and common ports, thereby fluidicly coupling the source of fluid and the syringe. Next the caregiver must go to the syringe and draw fluid into the syringe. The caregiver must then go back to the stopcock valve and select the valve position that fluidicly couples the common and outlet ports, thereby fluidicly coupling the syringe and the patient. Then back to the syringe to administer the fluid. If the valve and the syringe are not in close proximity to one another, this process is inconvenient and time consuming for the caregiver.
There is also the risk of error by the caregiver, as well as the potential for inadvertent fluidic coupling of the source of fluid to the valve port coupled to the patient such as upon failure of the valve due to misuse.